Esteemed principal’s banishment proves a real head-scratcher
Shocking as it may seem, Houston ISD has reportedly completed its investigation into whether a petite, bespectacled, 83-year-old principal threatened students with a baseball bat for not wearing uniforms and decided the allegation didn’t amount to a firing offense.
So why is the much-lauded principal, Bertie Simmons, still banned from her job and her beloved students at Furr High?
Another shocker: After weeks of digging, the district appears to have uncovered a new round of “serious” allegations that need investigating.
Superintendent Richard Carranza wouldn’t elaborate about the nature of the new allegations to a Chronicle reporter last week, but he said if not for the new concerns, Simmons would be back on the job. When I tried to reach Carranza, press secretary Tracy Clemons told me he wasn’t available and he wasn’t talking about Simmons anymore.
That’s a shame. There are still so many unanswered questions.
We still don’t know why a revered educator who came out of retirement to turn around a gang-infested “dropout factory” would be removed so abruptly and for so long over allegations that turned out to be a misunderstanding.
And why, following Simmons’ removal, did the district take action against two other employees at Furr? Both Sharon Koonce, an hourly employee who managed a national grant, and Jean Obanda Bacca, an information technology staffer involved in school reforms, were removed from their posts. Bacca told me the district initially transferred him to a warehouse to stack books until a supervisor began to make use of his IT skills.
Another head-scratcher: If the bat threat wasn’t a thing, to use high school vernacular, then why is HISD still trying to make it a thing? After the investigation was resolved last week, HISD decided it was time to release audio of Simmons talking about
the bat over the school’s intercom system.
“And those of you that are not dressed in dress code, you are to go to the gym, because we have over there a baseball bat, and we’re going to work you over for being out of dress code,” Simmons is heard saying.
‘Tickets’ confusing
Now, anyone who knows Simmons can recognize her dry wit in that recording. And it should have taken HISD investigators all of one day to figure out the principal known for her generosity and heart of gold when it comes to students didn’t suddenly develop a violent streak.
Yet, it’s understandable that those who don’t know Simmons, including new students to her campus, may have truly misunderstood the message. That’s the point Trustee Diana Davila made when we talked Friday. She said some students, who may be freshmen and may actually endure abuse at home, apparently took Simmons seriously.
Davila says two students emailed her with concerns, which she forwarded to the superintendent. She says students also seemed concerned about Simmons’ reference to “tickets” for dress code violators. Immigrant families, she said, are wary of law enforcement these days. And they might not have understood that “tickets” at school are referred not to Houston police but to a student-led court, another innovation Simmons brought to Furr to cut down on suspensions.
“As leaders, we have to be conscious of what we say,” Davila said. “There are things we said last year that we can’t say this year.”
A straight talker
She’s right. Of course, it isn’t Simmons’ fault that irresponsible elected officials from the White House to the statehouse in Austin are pushing divisive rhetoric and policies targeting immigrant and refugee communities.
Still, Simmons, known for refreshing straight talk in an age of political correctness gone mad, could have been a little more sensitive. And I’m sure she would have been happy to oblige if district officials had made that request instead of banishing her from the campus she has worked 17 years to rebuild.
As for Davila, who has been rumored to have had a hand in Simmons’ removal, she maintained Friday her only role was forwarding student complaints. She said that she’s not out to get Simmons, or anyone, that she treats “all principals equally” and that she doesn’t “meddle with administrative decisions.”
“Never once have I said anything bad about her,” Davila said, describing Simmons as creative and dynamic. “Every time we hire a superintendent, that’s the first principal I want them to go see.”
Davila says she has specifically asked not to be updated on the latest allegations until the investigation is complete. But she says she respects the decision by the district’s auditor to continue the probe.
$10M grant for Furr
I asked Davila about an accusation Simmons raised in a federal age and race discrimination claim against the district last week. It alleges that Davila told a group of supporters at a 2016 gathering that HISD had “too many white administrators.”
“I don’t recall ever making a comment like that,” Davila said, adding that she’d like to have a con- versation with anybody who thinks they heard her say it.
Another question is whether Simmons’ removal has anything to do with a $10 million grant to reinvent Furr that Simmons applied for and won on her own, without district involvement.
“Were there concerns? Yes,” Davila said about Simmons’ go-it-alone approach. “But you know what? I applauded the fact that she went out and sought it herself. I wish we had more principals who were that creative.”
It’s unclear what impact Simmons’ removal, or potential firing, would have on Furr’s ability to benefit from the full grant. In a previous interview, Simmons explained that the money is awarded incrementally, only if Furr’s plans at each stage are approved. If Simmons isn’t there to oversee detailed reform plans, including a Montessori-esque approach to promoting students based on competency rather than grade levels, will new officials follow through? And will their efforts satisfy the XQ Institute, which awarded the grant?
Students outraged
Answers aren’t forthcoming from the Greater Houston Community Foundation, which administers the grant for XQ. Spokeswoman Stephanie Blair could say only that the grant was awarded to the school, “not to any individuals.” In a separate statement, XQ has said it is committed to working with Furr and is not involved in day-to-day operation of the school.
This is a hell of a way to treat a career educator who has changed students’ lives. It’s a bad way for a campus to begin a school year — without its leader and driving force. Students and teachers are outraged, as evidenced by the more than 1,800 people who have signed a Change.org petition to “Bring Back Dr. Simmons.”
Even Davila says she wants the matter resolved promptly: “I’m hopeful that Bertie’s going to be back on campus, and that’s the honest truth,” she said.
I hope she means it. But it’s hard to know. The fact is, nothing we’ve seen so far in this probe passes the smell test.